Bedridden
by wordonawing
Summary: AU Cherik. Charles gets ill and Erik is a fusspot. My first multi-chaptered fic, but only two chapters. Please read and review :D   By the way, I apologise for any and all typos there may be. I was really excited and in a hurry about posting this. Sorry!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Here's a little thing I wrote. Actually it's not that little, it's the longest thing I've ever written. That's why it's in chapters (and also to up the suspense a little), but there's probably only gonna be two, or three at the most. Or maybe I'll just shove em all together and you can scroll down forever. Wait, no. I won't do that to your poor fingers. Two chapters.  
>Basically, Charles gets ill and Erik is a mother hen. Inspired by Philote's lovely 'Just Rory'. Hope you like :D<br>English notes: I assume you all know what paracetamol is (look it up if you don't) but I think Calpol is not as universally recognised (don't read this part if you know it). It's a children's ibruprofen medicine that tastes disgusting (to me, at least). Seriously. It tastes like someone just upturned a huge vat of sugar into it, and you can feel all the granules crunching between your teeth. Even the sugar-free variety. Not nice. So now you know.  
><strong>

Sniff.  
>Erik slowly opens one eye, looks around the room, then closes it again, sinking back into the warm embrace of sleep. It doesn't last long.<br>Sniff. Sniff.  
>The eye cracks open again, a little more agitated this time. What is that infernal noise? Did one of the kids adopt a pet without telling him? No, he hasn't noticed any suspicious behaviour. So what is it?<br>Sniff. Sniff.  
>Very close. Erik looks down at the sleeping figure curled up in his arms. Surely it can't be -<br>"Ah - CHOO!"  
>Erik jumps in alarm, thoroughly flabbergasted. How could such a big noise have emanated from such a little person?<br>"Not little," Charles grumbles sleepily. "You're jus' behemoff-y."  
>Erik chuckles softly and kisses Charles's forehead. "I'm not sure that's a word, Mäuschen."<br>"To be honest, this early in the morning I don't really care." Charles yawns widely (looking almost identical to a dormouse, thinks Erik) and sniffs.  
>Wait. Sniffs?<br>So he's the one who woke Erik up.  
>"I'm afraid so. I appear to have a case of the sniffles." In an instant Erik is up, kneeling on the bed, and pressing the palm of his hand to Charles's forehead. "Erik, I'm fine, it's just a cold - "<p>

"A cold? Or flu? It feels like you have a temperature. Does your head hurt? Nausea? Sore throat? Cough? It could be meningitis - "  
>Charles halts the flood with a finger on Erik's lips. "Yes, it Is a cold, yes, I do feel a bit hot - " Erik raises his eyebrows and Charles glares at him " - yes, it aches a little, no, no, no, and most certainly no."<br>"So it is flu!"  
>"No, it's probably just a headache. I'll take some paracetamol and be right as rain by the time class starts."<br>"Class? Oh no, you're not going anywhere."  
>"But I'm giving lecture - "<br>"No buts. Your students will just have to have the day off. You certainly are." Charles swings his legs over the side of the bed in defiance of this statement.

"But –"  
>"No."<p>

"I'm going whether you like it or not. Pass me my cane." the words fall out of Charles's mouth automatically before he realises his mistake. Erik smirks as the implement in question lifts off the floor at the foot of the bed and floats gently into his outstretched hand. Charles makes a desperate leap for it, but Erik just holds it above his head, safely beyond his reach. "That is mean."  
>"Being "behemoth-y" has its uses."<br>"It won't work. I can still hobble." Charles pushes up off the bed and starts doing just that. Or, rather, attempts to. His bad leg falters on the first step, but luckily Erik is there to catch him. Unluckily, he picks him up bodily (how undignified, thinks Charles) and puts him right back into bed. Erik grins as he tucks the duvet in. "You were saying?" Charles grumbles under his breath (something about "effing arrogant metal-benders"), but settles down all the same. Erik goes to get him some pills and a glass of water from the bathroom. When he returns, Charles is propped up on a mountain of pillows reading a thick book.  
>"What's that?" he asks as he sets the glass and pills down on the bedside table.<br>"_On the Origin of Species_. I always read it when I'm bedridden."  
>Erik snorts. "I'm sure it's thrilling."<br>Charles raises an eyebrow. "It's a lot more intellectually stimulating than some of the books you read."

"Hey! I read intellectual stuff. I read that really old one about that orphan the other day."  
>"As I recall, you haven't picked up <em>Jane Eyre<em> since Thursday."  
>"Only because it was getting boring. That Rochester guy was a complete wimp. I mean, come on! He should've just killed the crazy lady when she turned crazy. That way he could've married the girl - "<br>"Erik."  
>"Yes, dear?"<br>"Shut up. I'm trying to sleep. And you're supposed to be taking a class in twenty minutes."  
>"Good point." Erik jumps off the bed and dashes around the room like a headless chicken, grabbing clothes and books and shoes and keys before bending down to give Charles a goodbye kiss and sprinting out of the door.<p>

**A/N: So there you have it. Chapter 1, at least. Chapter 2 will probably be up tomorrow, or Thursday at the very very latest. Promise. Thanks for reading and please review :) **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So, here we go with Chapter 2. I bet you were all on the edge of your seats. I know I was. I decided to put it up today instead of tomorrow because, well, I'm a little high on Cherik at the moment. Hope you enjoy.**

**More English notes: Okay, so Lemsip is this hot lemony drink thing that people say to drink when you have a cold (it's basically hot water with lemon), but I drank some when I had a sore throat and it tasted disgusting (kind of like Calpol). The aftertaste was kind of nice, but the first bit… yeuch. Maybe it's just me (I think so). Anyway, now you know. I don't hate all medicine, by the way. I quite like ibruprofen, I can swallow it without water. Okay, Lemsip rant over.**

**By the way, I fully spell-checked this one, but my laptop is a little spazzy so there might conceivably be some errors. I'm so sorry if there are! **

**See the end for German translations if you need them. **

Erik comes back five minutes later bearing a tray laden with toast, fruit, tea, orange juice, scrambled eggs and a small mountain of blueberry pancakes drenched in maple syrup. "Thought you might be hungry." Charles's "sleepiness" dissipates immediately and he tucks in to the huge breakfast eagerly, somehow managing to pull Erik down beside him in the process.

"Who made this?" he asks around a mouthful of egg. Attractive, thinks Erik.  
>"Me, who d'you think?" Charles looks at him sceptically. "Well, Raven helped a bit. She says she hopes you get better soon." Charles smiles and pops a slice of banana into Erik's mouth.<br>Erik leaves for his class ten minutes later, after practically forcing the medicine down Charles's throat ("Don't give me that look! It's for your own good!"), promising to return at breaktime. Raven, who has a free period first thing, comes up to their bedroom and sits on the edge of the bed. "Hey. How're you feeling?"  
>"Like my head is filled with fog. You?"<br>"I'm fine, thanks. Got an exam next period, though."  
>"Oh dear. What on?"<br>" 'Appearance and How It Alters Our Opinions of People.' "  
>Charles chuckles. "Shouldn't be too hard for you, then."<br>"I never though I'd have to write an essay on my mutation. How's Erik, by the way? We didn't really get a chance to talk earlier, it was more like, "Raven! Cook this crap for your brother!" "  
>"He's fine, I think. Sorry about that, he goes a little manic whenever I'm indisposed. He's been like a mother hen since we woke up, clucking and fussing and generally getting on my nerves."<br>"I bet you secretly love it, though."  
>"Hmph. I <em>tolerate<em> it, dear sister. Nothing more."

"Uh huh. You just keep on telling yourself that." And with that, Raven departs for her next lesson.  
>Erik comes back at breaktime and makes Charles drink a mug of Lemsip ("I hate lemon. Much too sour. Give me something with less citric acid and more sugar any day."). Then Charles reads a bit of <em>On the Origin of Species <em>to Erik and though Erik doesn't understand a word of it, Charles's voice is quiet and soft and very soothing, and he starts to drift away...  
>Thwack. "Ow!"<p>

"It was for your own good, you were falling asleep and third period starts..." A bell rings in the main body of the mansion. "Now."  
>Erik takes the pillow from Charles and puts it safely back on the bed. "See you in an hour."<br>"Don't have too much fun without me."  
>"Fun? Without you? Impossible, mein Herz."<p>

Then there are more drugs and a lot of tissues, and more reading of Darwin (that name sends a rather painful sensation strumming across Charles's heartstrings) until Erik returns with another tray, this time loaded with ham and cheese toasties and more orange juice. Charles is very pleased to see him, for the simple reason that he is someone to talk to and read to and do things with. Of course Charles loves Erik, with all his heart, but right now he just needs someone to entertain him. That's the really irritating thing about being stuck in bed - the damned boredom.  
>"So I'm like, what, a little private TV show to keep you happy?"<br>Bugger. He'd forgotten the mind-link-thing worked both ways.

"No, no... Well, yes, I suppose."  
>"You are very strange, you know that?"<br>"It has been mentioned once or twice. Mostly by you, Herr Bär." Charles laughs at his little joke. "Herr Bär. Sounds like care bear. Which is what you've been all of today. Danke schön, Herr Bär." Charles wraps his arms around Erik's middle and squeezes tight, burying his face in "Mr Bear's" chest. Erik laughs and hugs him back, then tugs gently on his hair to get him to look up.  
>"You know, I haven't got any classes this afternoon. I'm not going anywhere."<br>"Okay..."  
>"We've got two whole hours to ourselves... Lots of time to..." Charles's brow furrows in confusion before shooting suddenly up into his hairline.<br>"You mean...?"  
>"Yep. Lots of time to... Drink more Lemsip!" Erik bounds out of bed and over to the bathroom.<br>"Oh no," Charles groans.  
>"Oh yes!" Erik calls over his shoulder, happily clattering around with mugs and sachets.<br>"When you get sick, I'm so making you drink an entire bottle of Calpol."  
>"Never gonna happen. I don't get sick."<br>"Famous last words..."

Sniff.  
>Charles slowly opens one eye, takes in the sight on front of him, and laughs out loud.<br>"Calpol, here we come!"

**A/N: Ha, Erik should know better than to jinx it. Hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing. In case you hadn't guessed, I myself have a case of the sniffles at the moment and so I feel Charles's boredom, literally. Luckily, unlike him, I have fanfiction to take my mind off it. Thank you for reading and please review!**

**German Translations:**

**M****ä****uschen **(mois-shen) – little mouse

**Mein Herz **(mine herts) – my heart

**Herr B****ä****r** (hair beah) – Mr Bear (in case you hadn't gathered)

**Danke sch****ö****n **(dankah schern) – thank you very much


End file.
